


And when we touched (it all connected)

by historysong



Series: Human Touch [1]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Duncan Keith is good at charades, Foursome - F/F/M/M, Multi, Soul Bond, drunk!PK is magic (apparently)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:02:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historysong/pseuds/historysong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where every individual was supposed to meet someone that they would share a deep and lifelong bond with, following a touch, Kris Letang was one of the few who was not physically able to. </p><p>And he was fine with that. Really. Who needed some silly telepathic bond with another person, anyway?</p>
            </blockquote>





	And when we touched (it all connected)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [camshaft22](https://archiveofourown.org/users/camshaft22/gifts).



> Written for the Hockey Holiday Exchange, for camshaft22's prompt: "Marc Staal/Kris Letang, Soulbond AU."
> 
>  
> 
> Beta by Calliotrope - thanks for answering the call on such short notice! All remaining mistakes are my own.

From a very early age, every child was made aware of Soultouching. About how every individual was supposed to meet someone that they would share a deep, telepathic and lifelong bond with. They were told it was very simple - "it all begins with a touch!" A hand placed on the other person, usually over the heart, and if the other was your Soultouched, an instant connection would be formed.

Of course, it was not always that simple in real life. Often it was easier to tell when a person was not your Soultouch, as the 'negative feedback' received from the initial Touch was usually much stronger than the sense that a person might well be your Soultouch. Except in extremely rare cases - and in the movies - strong instant connections on the first meeting were unheard of. It usually took a couple of tries before a Soultouch bond could be confirmed. Some met theirs in primary school, others when they were much older.

And then, there were those who were not able to Soultouch at all, no matter how many people they touched. Medical experts said there must be something in their genetic makeup which prevented them from creating or accepting a Soultouch connection. Only a small fraction of the population experienced this, and they were commonly referred to as Soulbereft. More accepted than they used to be, but still looked down upon by some who sneered and called them ‘Empties.’

Kris Letang was a Bereft. It bothered him at first that he was one of the few who were never ever going to have a Soultouch partner, but hockey was probably one of the few industries where being a Bereft was not frowned upon. In fact, it was often considered an advantage by coaches, because players would not be distracted by the constant chatter in their head from their Soultouch.

Wayne Gretzky was the most famous example of a successful Bereft in hockey, and he seemed to do just fine without a Soultouch, Kris figured. And the thought that Kris would be lonely forever soon evaporated when he met Catherine at one of the Bereft fellowship meetings in Quebec. They might both never be able to form a Soultouch, but he felt as close to her as anyone else who did have a Soultouch, and their son Alexander showed all signs of being able to Soultouch.

All in all, Kris thought he was coping rather well with the whole situation. He had a job he loved, where being Bereft wasn't a problem, and a partner and son who he adored. Who needed some silly telepathic bond with another person, anyway?

Or at least, that’s what he thought until he was invited to Hockey Canada’s Olympic orientation camp.  

 

* * *

 

It started, as most things did during this particular camp, with PK Subban. His French might be atrocious, but he could be very persuasive and charming when he wanted to be. Which was how the entire defense contingent found themselves in a bar in downtown Calgary one night, for ‘team building purposes’.

"Hey, Cyclops!"

Subban's voice was one of those which could carry across a crowded bar, and Kris looked up to see the man in question sling an arm around Marc Staal, ruffling his hair.

Kris chuckled. "Over or under before Marc punches him?"

Next to him, Duncan Keith shook his head. "Nah, Marc's a pretty chill guy. And besides, as far as nicknames go, 'Cyclops' is pretty cool."

"He's stopped making pirate noises every time I walk into the room, now," Marc said, dropping down into the empty stool next to Kris. He looked almost longingly at Duncan's beer. "Could I...."

Duncan chuckled. "Way ahead of you," he said, as Brent Seabrook appeared at his elbow with two glasses of beer, one of which he passed over to Marc.

"Didn't PK say that he was with Price and his new bride, before they came to Calgary?" Marc said, before taking a long sip of the beer. "I would have thought that would make him _less_ excitable, not more."

Duncan grinned. "Maybe Price is holding out until after the camp."

Brent slapped Duncan over the head - "I don't want images of Price and Subban going at it in my brain!" - as Kris turned to Marc. He knew Marc vaguely through Jordy, but the two had become friendlier during the camp, being the only invited defensemen who were Bereft.

"All jokes aside," Kris said, "How is the eye?"

"Not 100 percent," Marc said, "but it's getting better every day." He frowned. "I hope it doesn't affect my chances of being selected for the team.”

"They invited you here, didn't they?" Kris said. "There's other Canadian defensemen they could have invited, but they chose you."

Marc shrugged. "Maybe," he said, draining the rest of his beer. "I heard Mackenzie the other night say that Yzerman is leaning towards picking Soultouch defense pairings. I mean, would you rather have those two," he said, waving a hand in the direction of Duncan and Brent - who were whispering intently to each other - "who already have deep connections with each other....or a Bereft with bad eyesight?"

"How about a Bereft from Quebec with great hair?" Kris said, looking at Marc. "Gretzky played at the Olympics, and no-one said anything. We just have to prove that we are as good as any Soultouched."

Marc took another sip of his beer, just as PK appeared out of nowhere. His cowboy hat was askew, and he looked like he might have had a few drinks too many.

"You two aren't having fun," he said, frowning. "This is a bar, not a pity party."

As Marc protested that yes, he was having fun, PK slung his arms around them both, pulling them together. "You know what I think?" he said. "You two should Soultouch."

Kris laughed. "How much have you had?" he said. "Because in case you have forgotten, we can't. Bereft, remember?"

“Uh-uh,” PK said, waving his hand vaguely in the air. “Never take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Is that how you and Price got stuck with each other?” Brent said, sidling over. On his other side, Duncan pulled out his phone and started tapping away. ‘Price,’ he mouthed.

PK didn’t notice Duncan, as he kept talking. “Nah, me and Pricey were pretty close from before, y’know? Then he met Angela and I got real mad for a while…” he grinned. “But it all worked out in the end.”

“Triple bond?” Kris asked. A Soultouch bond with more than one person was usually  rare, though Kris had heard that there were several players in the NHL with a triple bond.

“Nice,” Marc said - and Kris remembered that his brother Eric was rumoured to have a triple bond with his wife and the Russian on his team.

PK nodded enthusiastically. “It’s been great,” he said. “Which is why you two should try! You know the saying, two wrongs can make a right.” He frowned. “Or was that something else?”

Duncan hung up the phone and held up two fingers, as Kris looked over at Marc.

“Guess we’d better play along,” he said. “At least until Price gets here.”

Marc sighed, holding out his hand, bringing it towards Kris’ chest. “Here goes nothing.”

  
Kris felt more than a little silly, standing there in the middle of a bar with his hand pressed against Marc’s chest, while PK peered at them intently. “Well?” he said.

“I got nothing,” Marc said. “How about you, Kris?”

“ _Non_ ,” Kris said. “Tingling in my fingers, but I think that might be from the alcohol.”

PK snapped his fingers. “Damn!” he said. “And I was so sure it would work.”

“So sure what would work?” And there was Carey Price, making his way through the crowd, accompanied by Dion Phaneuf.

“We came as quickly as we could,” Dion said, as he approached. “The goalies had the same idea as we did - they were in a bar down the street.” He grinned. “Luongo does a mean karaoke.”  

Price took one look at the scene and sighed. “PK, what have you been up to?”

Duncan mimed chugging a glass of beer, as PK launched himself at Price.

“Yes, yes, happy to see you, too,” Price said, shaking his head. “C’mon, we’d better get back to the hotel. Don’t want you chased out of town for causing trouble.”

PK happily slung an arm around Price, who started walking in the direction of the door. “Can I keep my hat, though?”

“That’s why I bought it for you, didn’t I? Makes you look like a real cowboy.”

“Yeehaw!”

  
After they left, Duncan raised his eyebrows - and was immediately slapped over the wrist by Brent. “Don’t you start,” he said. Duncan leered at Brent, who immediately turned a fetching shade of pink.

Dion laughed, and settled into the empty seat next to Kris. “What was up with PK, anyway?” he asked. “Aside from too much liquid Calgarian hospitality.”

“Oh, he was trying to get us to Soultouch,” Marc said, emphasising the word with his fingers, before shaking his head. “Ridiculous, huh?”

“Well, PK’s nuts, but it can happen,” Dion said. “People can find their Soultouch late in life. That’s what happened with me and Elisha - I’d just about given up, and she thought she had a connection with _Sean Avery_.” Dion made a face, before looking at Marc. “No offense.”

“None taken - Sean’s a pretty opinionated guy,” Marc said. “But me? Officially diagnosed as Bereft. With a certificate and all.”

Kris nodded. “Same here.” There had been times when he was younger when he wanted to tear that certificate into tiny little pieces. Now, while he wasn’t exactly going to frame it on his wall, it was in no danger of being shredded.

Dion shrugged. “Worth a try,” he said, as Duncan and Brent leaned in.

“Sorry to interrupt here, but Duncs and I are going to try find the forwards,” Brent said. “I mean, if the goalies are out having fun….”

Kris giggled. “Fun? Sid’s probably got them in a room somewhere going over plays.”

“Tazer’ll be up there with him, telling them they all have to ‘be better,’” said Duncan.

“Eric has this expression on his face, where you know he’s disappointed with you,” Marc offered.

Dion chuckled. “Yep,” he said. “No fun at all.”

Brent pulled out his phone. “So what are we waiting for? Gentlemen - and Duncs - let’s start dialling.”

And as Kris pulled out his own phone and started looking for James’ number - he figured Nealer would be less suspicious than Sid if he started asking questions - all thoughts of PK and his ridiculous ideas about Soultouching two people who were obviously Bereft went right out of his head.

* * *

Kris loved spending time in Montreal during the offseason; walking around the streets listening to people talk in French, with Catherine’s arm around his waist and little Alex in a stroller next to them. He liked catching up with family and old friends, and the chance to unwind and think about something other than hockey for a while - even if there were visits to _La Champagnerie_ with Max, Flower and Patrice, where everyone had to make sure that Max didn’t try to steal one of the sabres, or worse, take someone’s head off in the process.  

  
But when all was said and done, there was nothing better than packing up the gear - and the family - and heading back to Pittsburgh, and stepping on a fresh sheet of ice at CONSOL. Training camp hadn’t started yet, but Sid was there, organising unofficial practices with whatever players were available as they slowly filtered back into town.

  
When it first happened, Kris thought he was maybe mishearing things. After all, it sometimes took a while for him to get used to hearing things in English again, after a long summer of speaking only French. But the second time, after he’d collided with Sid after he turned the wrong way in drills, he wasn’t quite so sure.

  
“You said turn left,” he said to Sid, picking himself up off the ice.

“No, I said right.” Sid frowned. “You okay, Tanger?” Geno immediately skated over, casting a worried eye over Sid until he sighed. “I’m fine.”

Geno shook his head, brushing stray ice chips off Sid’s jersey. “Could have been hurt,” he said, glaring at Kris, who immediately felt terrible.

“I’ll sit out for a while,” he said, waving off Sid’s protests as he skated towards the bench.

Sid looked concerned, but Geno leaned in to murmur something in his ear and...yes, there was Sid’s ridiculous honking laugh echoing across the ice, as he waved the group together to explain another drill.

  
Kris absent-mindedly fiddled with the tape on his stick as he watched them.

“Stupid language,” he muttered. “I heard left. Both times.” He sighed. “This fucking sucks.”

This time, with the action happening down the other end of the rink, he distinctly heard it. A voice, clear as day, as if someone was talking right in his ear. **_You’re telling me._**

  
“ _Tabernac_!”

If his teammates were surprised to see Kris come leap over the boards and come tearing down the ice towards them, they didn’t show it. At least, not until Flower could make sense of the torrent of French - liberally peppered with Quebecois profanity - being thrown at him.

“He says something about voices,” Flower said. “Hearing voices.”

“Voices,” Nealer said, drawing circles in the air around his head until he was elbowed by Paulie.  

“Look, I know how it sounds,” Flower said, “but I don’t think he’s crazy.” He paused. “I mean, it’s impossible, what I’m thinking, but…”

“Go on,” said Geno, giving Kris’ shoulder a squeeze. “How impossible?”

“Soultouching,” Flower said.

There was silence for a moment, before Beau piped up. “That’s pretty out there,” he said. “I mean, isn’t Tanger supposed to be Bereft?”

Flower nodded. “Sure,” he said. “But who here remembers what happened when you first met your Soultouch?”

Geno smiled. “After we touch, I say ‘hello’ to Sid.”

“Yeah, in my hea--oh.” Sid looked over at Kris, who had been led to the visitor’s bench and told to lie down and rest.. “You really think it’s possible?”

“That would explain the voice thing,” said Flower. He nudged Tanger. “Why don’t you give it a try, Kristopher? Think about something to say - in your head - and see if you get a response.”

Kris frowned. “Like what?”

“Oh, I dunno,” Flower said, shrugging. “But I like Geno’s idea. ‘Hello’ might be a good start.”

  
Kris felt silly as he shut his eyes, but it was better than thinking he was crazy.

 _Hello._ He paused for a moment, before adding, _If you’re not a figment of my imagination, or a ghost, please say something._

Nothing happened - and Kris was just about to open his eyes and give up on the whole thing, when the voice came through again. **_I thought YOU were a figment of my imagination._**

To say Kris was shocked when the voice came through, loud and clear, was an understatement. How could this all be happening to him?

_This is crazy,_ Kris thought. _No offence, but I was told this couldn’t happen to me. Ever._

This time, the voice sounded surprised. **_You too?_**

_Certificate and all._

**_Weird._** There was a pause for a moment. **So, what do we do now?**

 _Dunno,_ Kris thought back. _Guess we keep talking. But not right now - I want to get off this bench and play some hockey._

 **You’re a hockey player?** The voice sounded pleased at that. **That explains why you were saying to go right. Do you know, I almost crashed into my goalie.**

_Well, I ran my captain over because you kept saying to go left!_

**Sorry. Talk later?**

_Only if you don’t interfere with my drills._

**Deal.**

  
Kris opened his eyes, only to see Flower grinning down at him. “Well?” he said.

“So there’s a real live person on the other end, not a figment of my imagination,” he said, pushing Flower away as he raised himself up off the bench.

“And? Did you bear your innermost soul to them yet?”

“You sound like you ate your psychologist,” Kris said, swatting at Flower. “But yes, we talked. And no, we did not exchange mental phone numbers or whatever, because I told him I had to play hockey first.”

“Him?”

“Well, the voice in my head sounded male.”  Kris frowned. “Do they all sound generic like that?”

“They always told us that the voice itself wouldn’t help identify your Soultouch, but that later you can pick up speech patterns.” Flower flung an arm around Kris. “If it makes you feel any better, I fell over when I first heard Vero in my head. On the first date, too!” He smiled broadly. “Well done, young Kristopher. This makes me feel like a proud father.”

Kris snorted. “Get off me, _teton_ ,” he said, tussling with Flower for a moment, before heading back onto the ice, Flower wrapped firmly around him.

  
 _Sorry if I swear a lot in my head. I’m not mad at you - my goalie is currently wrapped around me like an extra scarf and refuses to let go._

**_Nah, I understand. Mine gave me a big hug when I said I might have a Soultouch._ **

_Goalies, huh? Guess they’re all weird, no matter where you play._

**_We all say ours is too good looking and perfect to be human._ **

_Alien goalie?_

**_Hey, stranger things have happened....._ **

 

* * *

 

At the next practice, Sid was the first to approach Kris in the locker room as he was lacing up his skates. “So…” he began, before Kris interrupted him.

“Let me guess,” he said. “You want to know about my Soultouch?”

Sid looked sheepish, as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Not just me,” he said. “We all figured this was new to you, and….”

“S’okay, Sid, I’m not gonna break,” he said, chuckling. “Professional hockey player, plays defense, middle child, Canadian. Eastern Conference team.”  

"Name?"

Kris shook his head. "We agreed not to exchange names. Makes it less personal that way.”

Sid frowned. “You mean, you don’t want to know who your Soultouch is? Or meet them?”

“I’ve been trying all week to think of who might have I Soultouched with,” Kris said, “and so has he. Nothing. So we decided not to worry about it.” He looked at Sid. “And seeing as we both play in the East, we’ll meet at some point, right?”

Sid sighed. “Just...be careful, alright? It’s bad luck to reject your Soultouch.”

“You and your superstitions, Sid,” Kris said. “But you can relax - we’re definitely not ignoring each other.”

  
 **_‘_ ** **Tabernac _’ is a bad word in French, right?_**

_Not French. Quebecois._

**_There’s a difference?_ **

_You, my friend, are a bad Canadian, and I dare you to ask that question in Montreal. But yes, it’s a commonly used swear word in Quebec._

**_Oh. I figured it might be something like that, because our coach keeps using the phrase._ **

Maudit _, what are you doing to your poor coach? Or are you all just horrible hockey players…?_

Kris panicked for a second, trying to think which coaches in the NHL were from Quebec. He could only come up with one – and surely the universe wouldn’t be so unkind as to pair him up with someone from the Flyers?

****

**_No! It’s just, well, he’s asking a lot of different things from us than our last coach, and it’s taking longer for us to catch up. But in a good way! Our old coach just wanted us to block shots all the time._ **

_Ouch._

**_Tell me about it. Or actually…_ **

_Uh-oh._

**_No, no, it’s not---I was just wondering if you could teach me a few phrases in Quebecois? I mean, seeing as Coach is new to the team, it might be nice for me to be all welcoming and say a couple of things in his, uh, native language._ **

_And get you into your new coach’s good books?_

**_Maybe just a little. C’mon, help me out here. Isn’t that what Soultouch partners are supposed to do?_ **

_Don’t make me regret this. Or you will end up learning words in Quebec French that would make a longshoreman blush._

**_Hey, at least then I’d know what Coach is yelling at us. Speaking of - is ‘_ ** **teton _’ another Quebec French word?_**

_You really do need my help. Alright, listen very carefully, and repeat after me..._

  
Kris’ sudden burst of laughter made everybody in practice turn around immediately to look at him.

“Hey, Tanger, buddy,” Nealer said. “You okay there?”

Kris smiled, wiping tears out of his eyes. “I’m fine,” he said, “but my Soultouch needs to work on his pronunciation.”

Everyone looked confused at that, except for Flower, who grinned at him - “your guy said something he shouldn’t have, huh?” - and Sid, who gave him an approving look.

As Kris turned his attention to the latest play Sid was going through, he heard his Soultouch in his head again.

  
 **_So, uh. I guess you’d better start teaching me how to grovel in Quebec French. Fast._ **

 

* * *

 

Training camp and pre-season seemed to pass by in an instant, after that. Not that Kris minded much, as he was as eager as the rest of his team to get the season started, and to prove to the hockey world that what happened last post-season was a mistake. For the most part, they did just that, shooting up the standings until they were first in their division - which almost everybody refused to call the 'Metropolitan,' because honestly, who came up with a name like that? - and later, the entire Eastern Conference.

As for his Soultouch, while Kris made no active effort to locate who was on the other end – he was curious, but both he and his Soultouch partner had agreed not to deliberately meet in person -  he continued to keep the bond open and active. It was still a little strange, after all those years of having his head to himself, but Kris could see the advantages to having one - especially if your Soultouch also happened to be a defenseman in the NHL. The two found themselves sharing ideas, plays, and the tendencies of players and goalies.

Catherine was the first person other than his teammates that he told about his unexpected Soultouch. He assured her nothing was going to change - his Soultouch partner was married, too - and they'd agreed to keep their minds as blank as possible when in intimate situations with their respective partners. She'd laughed and told him to pass on her thanks - and now, their little post-game ritual involved her asking him if he'd met his Soultouch in person yet.

The Penguins had played several games with Eastern Conference opponents since the season started, but Kris had yet to pick up on anything from the opposing players that might indicate they were his Soultouch. He knew when they were playing at the same time, because they would share dates and times to keep the 'chatter' to a minimum while the game was going on, but not the names of opponents or their own team. Flower always teased him about what might happen if his Soultouch turned out to be someone from a rival team - to which he responded that he was sure his Soultouch was too nice to play for someone like the Flyers.

 

By the time December came around, Kris was too focused on winning hockey games to be concerned about who on the Eastern Conference teams might be his Soultouch partner. In particular, the next game against the Bruins Kris wasn't expecting much chatter, because he knew they both had games on that evening. And he'd played the Bruins earlier, so he also knew none of their defensemen were his Soultouched - which meant he could focus on hockey.

Or so he thought.

Kris was on the bench when it happened - a shout across the bond, and a sharp pain in his head which had him doubled over in an instant.

"Kris?" He felt a hand on his shoulder, and the voice of his young defensive partner, Olli Maata. "You okay?"

"Yes, Olli, I..." Kris sat up, only to clutch at his head again. " _Tabernac_! No, I gotta..."

Olli immediately reached out to tug at Bylsma's coat sleeve. "Coach? Kris is not feeling so good. Think maybe his head."

Byslma immediately leaned over. "Tanger? You need to go inside for a while?"

Kris nodded, wincing as he did so.

"Alright. Olli, help him, will you? Go inside and rest for a while. And while you’re in there, get the trainers to take a look at you.”

The trainers and team doctors checked him out thoroughly, but there was nothing. They did tell him that he had some symptoms that were consistent with a blow to the head, but even Kris knew that was impossible - after all, he hadn't even been on the ice yet to get hit.

  
After a few minutes - and much more poking and prodding - Kris was allowed back outside and cleared to play. He arrived on the bench just in time to see the gruesome sight of Orpik being wheeled out on a stretcher, and the game didn't get any better after that - for the team, and for Kris himself. During the third period, Kris started having blurred vision and feeling dizzy after stepping off the ice, and had to be guided back inside. Initial tests again came up negative, though the doctors insisted on booking him in for a CT scan the following day, as he appeared to be suffering from ‘concussion-like’ symptoms.

  
When walking through events prior to his first exit, Kris mentioned that he'd felt something through his Soultouch bond. After being initially surprised that a supposed Bereft had a Soultouch, one of the doctors suggested trying to contact his partner, as sometimes a Soultouch partner could feel pain suffered by the other through the bond. Kris had seen it for himself several times over the years with Sid and Geno, but he just figured that was because those two had a extraordinarily close Soultouch bond.

However, when he tried to contact his partner, the other end was disturbingly quiet. Not the quiet he knew from games, where he could still sense his partner at the other end, but knew they weren’t trying to think or say anything. This was almost like a kind of static in his head, like the bond had been shut off. Kris didn’t like the look on the doctors’ faces when he explained the lack of response from his bond, and he found himself feeling worried for his Soultouch. Were they seriously injured – or worse?

  
Kris found no further answers that night, and the next day he was subject to a barrage of tests in a Pittsburgh hospital. The pain in his head had subsided a little, though he still felt dizzy on occasion – and still there was no response from his Soultouch.

When he stepped outside the hospital, he was surprised to be met by Flower, Olli and Geno.

“Well?” said Flower. “What’s the news?”

“They said the results wouldn’t be available until later today,” Kris said. “Not that I don’t appreciate the support, but what are you doing here?”

“Helping,” said Geno. “Olli say you have Soultouch who might be injured in head, make you need to go to hospital because you feel through bond.”

“That’s what the doctor said, during the game,” Kris said. “Is that possible?”

“When Sid get hit in jaw, I feel through bond,” offered Geno. “And Sid feel when I get injured this season.” He paused. “Our bond is strong, so we feel all the time, but say can happen to anyone.”

“Usually strong emotions or pain,” Flower said. “I felt everything when Vero was giving birth – and trust me, that wasn’t nice at all.”

“But isn’t this all kind of impossible?” Kris asked. “I mean, what are you going to do – look up all the NHL players who might have been hit in the head sometime last night?”

Olli smiled, holding out his phone. “Already did,” he said. “We look for players who have head injuries, not just hit. Only two people. First,” he said, holding up a finger, “Loui Eriksson. But he is forward and already has Soultouch partner.”

“And the second?” Kris asked.

“Oh, you’re gonna love this, Kristopher,” Flower said. “It’s the last person you might expect.”

Kris glared at him. “Flower, you _petit teton_ …..”

“Alright, alright, keep your hair on,” Flower said. “The person behind door number three, who has the unfortunate luck to be Soultouch partners with one Kristopher Allen Letang, the defenseman with the greatest flow in the…”

“ _Déguidine!”_

“…is Marc Staal.”

Kris gaped at them for a while. Of all the people he might have imagined as his Soultouch, that was not the name he was expecting to hear. “Marc Staal,” he said.  

“Yep.”

“But he’s Bereft.”

“So were you,” Geno pointed out. “He got hit in first period of game with New Jersey, have to leave game. Article says ‘concussion-like symptoms.’” He glanced over at Kris. “Familiar?”

Kris rubbed the back of his neck. “ _Ouais,_ ” he said. “But just because he’s got a head injury, doesn’t mean that…”

“I called Jordy,” Flower said. “Marc’s in a hospital in New York for observation. But that’s not the interesting part.” He paused, looking directly at Kris. “Not long after I called Jordy, I got a call from Henrik Lundqvist. Apparently, Marc has also recently acquired a Soultouch. A ‘ _French Canadian defenseman who plays in the East’_ kind of Soultouch.”

Kris sat down on the hospital steps. “I’m going to have to see him, aren’t I?” he said.

“Would be best,” said Geno. “Make sure Marc Staal is really your Soultouch.”

  
As Geno spoke, a car pulled up just in front of where they were sitting. The window wound down, and Mario Lemieux leaned out of the driver’s side. “You boys need a ride to the airport?”

Kris looked at the three of them. “ _Mario Lemieux knows about this_?” he said, incredulous.

Flower shrugged and looked innocent, while Geno merely smiled, reaching over to help Kris to his feet. “Taxi fare very expensive from Pittsburgh,” he said. “I only tell Mario because I think he understand – he has triple bond.”

Mario nodded. “Only happened quite recently,” he said. “Our other third plays for the Devils, so we figured that after what happened to Marc at the game – if he is your Soultouch, well, we kind of owe you.”

Kris looked at them all. He’d originally not wanted to make much of a fuss – after all, he and his Soultouch had agreed to not meet in person - but how could he say no when they’d obviously put a lot of thought into this?

“Alright. New York it is, then.”

 

* * *

 

Jordy was waiting for them at JFK. “He’s awake,” he said. “Mom and Dad just left a couple of minutes ago, but Henrik’s sitting in with him.”

Kris looked at Jordy. “Have you…?”

“Said anything?” Jordy shook his head. “He’s been asleep most of the time – I haven’t had the chance to.” He grinned. “It’ll be a nice surprise?”

Kris sighed. “ _Quelle surprise_ ,” he muttered, as he followed Jordy and the others outside.

 

The drive to the hospital seemed like it took forever, especially with New York traffic. Kris felt more and more nervous the closer they got – could it be possible that Marc was his Soultouch? He had plenty of time to try and run through all the occasions where he might have come into contact with Marc, and came up with nothing.

At least, not until he remembered the incident with PK in the bar in Calgary. Which would be impossible, because they didn’t feel anything at the time. Right?

 

Lundqvist met them outside the door of Marc’s room. “He’s asleep right now,” Lundqvist said, “but you should go in.”

“All of us?” Kris said.

“No.” Lundqvist folded his arms, fixing Kris with a stern look. “Just you.”

Kris looked back at the others. “We’ll be right outside,” Mario reassured him. He smiled. “Go on – Flower will talk shop with Lundqvist for hours, and Geno brought cards. We’ll be fine.”

Geno nodded, producing a pack out of his pocket, as Jordy not-so-subtly pushed Kris in the direction of the door. “Go,” he said. “Make my big brother’s day.”

 

Kris went.

 

He settled himself down in the chair next to Marc’s bedside, listening to the rhythmic beeping of the machines while he decided what to do next. Now that he was faced with the possibility of meeting his Soultouch in person, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to take the next step – or even how to go about it.  

A tentative exploration of the bond revealed that the connection was dormant, but alive – not the uncomfortable static of the past day or so. As he sat there watching Marc, Kris remembered what Flower said to him during that first practice all those months ago, when he was still getting his head around the idea of having a Soultouch partner after all _. “‘Hello’ might be a good start.”_ So, he took a deep breath, and reached out through the bond.

 

_Marc?_

The response was instant – Marc’s eyes shot open, and he sat upright in bed, staring around him.

 

_Over here, in the chair by your bed._

Marc turned around, and his eyes met Kris’, who waved. _Hello._

**_You?_ **

“Me,” Kris said out loud. “I guess we have to thank PK Subban for all this, huh?”

Marc chuckled weakly. **_He was actually right, for once. How did you…_**

“Your hit,” Kris said. “I felt it through the bond.”

**_I’m sorry. Your head?_ **

_Is fine. I think. Had some tests done, but I bet they’ll come up negative. Geno and Flower say it sometimes happens between Soultouch partners?_

**_That’s weird._ **

“Tell me about it,” Kris said. “And by the way, there are a bunch of doctors somewhere out there in Canada who should be fired.” He shook his head. “Bereft, my Quebecois butt.”

**_That goes the same for me. Except the Quebecois bit._ **

Kris laughed. “Yes, because your French is terrible. Has Vigneault forgiven you yet?”

 ** _I might be out of the doghouse in a couple of days._** Marc smiled. **_You don’t mind if I use the bond to talk? I get headaches when I try to talk out loud._**

“No problem.” Kris looked at Marc. “If you want me to talk through the bond, too…”

**_I don’t mind. Actually, I’d rather you talk out loud. It makes it more believable, you know?_ **

Kris nodded. “No, I get it. It makes it more real for me too, hearing you respond in my head to the stuff I say out loud.”

Marc held out his hand. **_Can I?_**

“Sure,” Kris said, leaning in. “We’ve broken all our rules by being here, we might as well do this properly.”

**_Not that I’m expecting fireworks, or anything. But here goes…_ **

Much like they did all those months ago, in a bar in Calgary, Marc held his palm out, placing it across Kris’ heart, just as he did the same to Marc. Except this time, the reaction was quite different.

 

Kris found his mind – and the bond – flooded with all kinds of images and emotions. Marc with his brothers, on the ice with the New York Rangers, and the nervousness he felt waiting at the altar for Lindsay; all mixed in with Kris’ own memories – laughing at Max’s attire at Flower’s own wedding, Sid, Geno and the rest of the Penguins, and the look of pride on Catherine’s face when little Alex said his first word. All these images moved through the bond, mixing together to form a heady concoction of emotions. It got so much that Kris had to pull away – though he still curled his fingers around Marc’s hand, not wanting to lose the connection completely.

 

_Wow. That is…_

**_Amazing?_ **

_You took the words right out of my mouth._ Kris paused. _Actually, you probably did._

Marc gripped Kris’ hand. **_I saw your memories of winning the Stanley Cup. Is that what it’s like?_**

_And more. I hope you get the chance – though not at our expense, of course._

**_Maybe at the Bruins’._** Marc made a face. **_Fuck those guys, huh?_**

Kris laughed. _Absolument._

He wasn’t sure what made him consider his next actions - perhaps it was the residual emotions flowing through the bond following their physical Soultouch, or perhaps it was something else. Either way, as Marc started to make some joke about the Bruins, Kris leaned in, placing his hand over Marc’s heart as he kissed him. There was shock through the bond for a second, before Marc reciprocated the kiss, pulling Kris closer as he placed his own hand over Kris’ heart.

 

Kris wasn’t sure how long they remained like that – he was too lost in the feeling of Marc’s lips on his, the physical touch and the sensations he could feel from the bond.

 

_This is… **perfect.**_

 

A loud bang from somewhere interrupted their connection, as Kris dropped his hand to turn around. He saw a woman standing in the doorway, wide-eyed, with her hand covering her mouth. He recognised her immediately from Marc’s memories – she was Soulbereft, too, just like Catherine -  as Marc called out from the bed.

“Lindsay!”

Kris turned bright red, as he pulled himself off Marc. What was he thinking? Marc was married, and he had Catherine and Alex. Is this what a Soultouch does to you?

He could hear Marc’s protests through the bond – **_Don’t go! Lindsay knows I’ve Soultouched with someone, we can explain_** – but he ignored them, levering himself out of the chair.

“My apologies, Madame,” he said to Lindsay, as he hurried out the room. “He is all yours.”

**_Kris!_ **

He turned back to look at Marc, as his wife moved towards the bed.

_I’m sorry._

The door slammed behind him, and Kris sank to the floor, holding his head to try and stop the flow of comments from Marc through the bond – **_What are you talking about? Kris! Oh, you little…_** \- and chuckled weakly as Marc filled his head with a string of Quebecois phrases not fit for polite company.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Flower and the others. “We tried to delay her,” Lundqvist said, “but Lindsay wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Flower squeezed Kris’ shoulder. “What happened in there, Kris?”

“Everything,” said Kris. “And nothing.” He pulled himself off the floor. “I want to go back to Pittsburgh.”

 “Alright, Kris,” Mario said. “If that’s what you want, we’ll leave.” He looked over at Jordy. “Give our best wishes to your brother for a speedy recovery.”

“I’ll let Catherine know,” said Flower. “See if she can meet us in Pittsburgh.”

Kris nodded, as Geno and Lundqvist helped him out the door. “Yes,” he said. “I need to see Catherine. And Alex – I need to see my son.”

“And so you shall, young Kristopher,” Flower said, tapping away at his phone.

As they passed Jordy, Kris turned back to look at him. “Tell Marc I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

 

He felt Marc again through the bond, as he was helped into the car.

**_What are you doing, Kris! Don’t leave!_ **

_I have to. For both our sakes._

Kris squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself to sleep as the car pulled away from the hospital, ignoring the feelings of distress Marc was sending him through the bond.

 

* * *

 

True to their word, Catherine was waiting at the airport, Alex in tow. Kris had never seen such a welcome sight in his life, as he pulled her into a tight hug.

“You know, I have to breathe at some point, Kris,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the others, before Kris released her.

“Take him home,” Mario said gently, as Kris turned his attentions to Alex, tickling the boy until he giggled. “We’re not sure what happened in New York between him and Marc Staal, but it doesn’t look good.”

“Rejection?” she asked, wide-eyed. Catherine might have been a Soulbereft, but she knew that there were dire consequences should a person choose to reject their Soultouch.

“We don’t know,” Mario said. “But at the moment? It looks like it might be.”

Catherine nodded, going over to Kris. “C’mon,” she said, reaching out to take his arm. “Let’s go home.”

“Wait a minute,” Kris said. He turned to Geno. “Sid showed me a necklace at Olympic camp that he said you both had to wear last time.”

“Yes. Made of special material to keep bond closed. All Soultouch partners from different nationalities have to wear one when competing in Olympics.” Geno frowned. “Why you ask?”

“Where did you get it?”

“Russian hockey officials,” Geno said. “But you don’t need…”

“I do,” Kris insisted. “Can you get one for me?”

Geno sighed, and squeezed Kris’ shoulder. “I give you at practice tomorrow, okay?” he said. “Go. Sleep.”

Catherine led him over to their car, after waving farewell to the others. “So,” she said, “am I allowed to send knife-wielding assassins after Marc Staal, or not?”

Kris chuckled weakly. “It’s not his fault,” he said. “It’s…everything.”

“Hmm.” Catherine didn’t sound convinced, but she didn’t say anything else on the subject as she helped him into the car, talking about Alex’s latest antics. Kris leaned back against the headrest, drifting off to sleep as Catherine told him about the ongoing saga of ‘what crazy object will Alex put in his mouth this time?’

 

* * *

 

Given the bond between Sid and Geno, Kris really wasn’t surprised when Sid approached him before practice. “Here,” he said, pressing something into his hand. “I don’t like it, but if you’re going through with this, you might as well do it properly.”

Kris looked down at the object in his hand – an innocuous silver necklace, with a pendant shaped like a maple leaf. “Sid?”

“Hockey Canada approved Soultouch bond suppression necklace,” Sid said. “Geno told me about what happened in New York, and I didn’t want you going out and buying a cheap one.”

“Thanks,” he said, slipping the necklace over his head.

“Duper wants to leave spiders in Marc Staal’s hospital bed, by the way.”

Kris laughed. “Tell Dupes not to bother,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

“Will you?” Sid frowned. “The necklace is not supposed to be worn permanently. And they told us, at the Olympics, that it wouldn’t work unless both parties agreed to mutually close the bond. If one party does but the other doesn’t…” Sid looked at him. “There are serious and even fatal consequences for denying a Soultouch, Kris. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“Sid,” Kris said. “I’ll be _fine_. Now let’s go play some hockey, eh?”

 

Kris felt the bond close off the moment he put the necklace on - it was almost as if all the events of the past few months had never happened. And while he did miss the running commentary and assistance from his Soultouch ( _Marc_ , his brain supplied) he’d gone twenty six years without a Soultouch. Surely he could continue to survive without one?

 

The answer to that last question seemed to be ‘yes’ at first, as Kris and the rest of the Penguins prepared for a visit to CONSOL by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Come game time, and Kris felt fine as he stepped out onto the ice. There was a little dizziness, at first, but Kris put that down to the usual game time nerves, rather than anything to do with the bond. Geno scored his first goal after coming back following his injuries, Kris himself managed to put several shots at McElhinney, and felt like a proud father as Olli picked up another assist. All in all, he thought, as final buzzer sounded to a Penguins win, it was a good game.

But as Kris stood up to join his celebrating teammates – and congratulate Flower on a game well played – everything went blurry as his knees started to buckle. He saw Olli turn back, shouting, as his vision went black.

 

Then, nothing.

 

* * *

 

**_Hello._ **

****

Kris’ eyes shot open. He was in a hospital bed and…that was Marc Staal sitting in a chair next to him.

**_These chairs are very uncomfortable, you know._ **

Kris gaped at him. _What are you…How?!_ He reached up to his neck, only to find nothing there.

“Looking for this?” Marc held something out in his hand – and yes, there was Kris’ necklace, dangling from his fingers. “The hospital staff took it off when you were admitted.” He shook his head. “Sid told me all about what this does.” He placed the necklace on the table. “Why?”

 _Because you’re not supposed to be here!_ Kris all but shouted in his head.

“And why not?” Marc asked. “We’re Soultouch partners. The doctors were quite happy to let me in when I explained that.”

_About that. How did you know? And what am I doing in a hospital, anyway?_

Marc frowned. “You collapsed after your game against the Blue Jackets,” he said. “The doctor said it was related to you supressing the Soultouch bond.”

_Then what they say is true?_

“Very true,” Marc said. He slapped Kris’ wrist. “And that was stupid of you, you… _teton_! They told me you could have died, Kris! If Malkin – Geno – hadn’t called me when he did, I…” Marc gripped his hand. “Promise me you won’t try to suppress our Soultouch bond again.”

Kris looked down at the sheets. _I can’t, Marc._

“And why not?” Marc paused. “And that’s another thing – when I was in hospital, you ran out without saying a word. Why?”

_We can’t Soultouch. Not like we did at the hospital. Not further._

“I don’t understand,” Marc said. **_Didn’t it feel right?_**

 _That’s the problem. It felt TOO right. Even the…_ Kris paused, placing a finger on his lips. _You know. And then, your wife walked in._ He looked up, meeting Marc’s eyes. _It’s not right, Marc. We had our own lives, before the Soultouch happened. You have Lindsay, and I have Catherine and little Alex. How could we hurt them by deepening our bond?_

Marc squeezed his hand. “I see,” he said. “But about that.” He got out of the chair, and headed to the door, opening it. “There’s been a little development since you’ve been out. Guys?”

 

Kris looked up to see Catherine walk in, hand clasped tightly in Lindsay Staal’s. Lindsay smiled when she saw Kris, waving her hand in the air. “Surprise!”

_Is that what I think it is, Marc?_

“Add more doctors to the list of those who should be fired,” Marc said.

 

Catherine perched herself on the edge of Kris’ bed, tugging Lindsay down with her. “I was just as surprised as you,” she said. “I went to New York to bring my husband’s Soultouch partner to him, not to discover I had one of my own.”

Lindsay pinched Catherine on the arm. “And what am I, chopped liver?”

“Poutine,” Catherine said, seriously. “I’m still getting used to all of this,” she told Kris, “I mean, you have Soulberefts discovering that they can actually Soultouch? And with each other?” She smiled. “I guess we know how you two felt, now.”

Lindsay flushed a little as she spoke. “By the way, you’re forgiven for what happened at the hospital the other day. Because, uh, well…”

Catherine leaned in. “Still the best kisser by a country mile,” she murmured in Kris’ ear, before slapping him across the wrist. “And what were you thinking!”

“He probably wasn’t, if your memories of him were correct,” Lindsay said.

“True.” Catherine placed a hand gently on his shoulder “You can’t suppress a Soultouch, Kris,” she said. “None of us expected to have one, but…well, here we all are.” She paused. “You might even call it fate.”

“It sounds a little hokey, I know,” Marc said. “But I’ve been doing a little thinking.”

“Which is always dangerous, given the Staal genes,” Lindsay teased. “But he does make sense here.”

“If we were destined to have a Soultouch after all, and if the universe is going to put us through all that heartache of believing that this would never be an option for us…” Marc looked at Kris. “Wouldn’t it make sense to have our wives be Soultouch partners, too?”

“Think of it as his and hers Soultouch bonds,” Catherine said.  

“You’re right, it does sound hokey. But at this stage? I’ll take it.” Kris looked around at the three of them. “So. What happens to us now?”

Catherine gave him a wicked grin. “I don’t know,” she said, “but wouldn’t it be fun to find out?”

 

When Mario and the others came into the room, they found Kris asleep in the bed, with Catherine on one side and Lindsay on the other. And Marc, seated in the chair, head resting on the bed and his fingers gripped tightly in Kris’.

 

(Max took a picture, Flower sent it via email to everyone on the Penguins’ mailing list, plus Lundqvist. Kris cursed at him for several minutes afterwards…and then, saved a copy for himself.)

 

* * *

 

“Well,” Henry Staal said, looking around the table, “I know I say this every Christmas, but I am grateful to have all of you boys home for the holidays, with some old faces,” and here he looked at Alex Semin and Jeff Skinner, “and the new. I am also grateful that you are all healthy and in one piece, because I would never hear the end of it from your mother.”

 

In the ensuing laughter, Kris squeezed Marc’s hand. While Kris was relatively healthy, Marc was still suffering from concussion symptoms. Mario, after hearing the entire story, insisted that Kris take some time off, too, as he was feeling the residual effects through the bond.

 

“And without further ado,” Henry Staal continued, “As is our tradition, I would like to invite one of these new faces to carve the turkey. Kris? Would you do the honours?”

“I would be happy to, sir,” Kris said, staring at the turkey in question. “Provided, of course, I can borrow a son of yours to help me.”

 

_What did your maman feed this bird? It’s huge!_

**_Same thing she feeds the rest of us._** Marc waggled his eyebrows at Kris. **_You know what they say, everything grows bigger in Thunder Bay._**

_They do not say that. And I really wish you wouldn’t._

**_Speaking of being bigger….do you think you and your lovely wife would be uh, up to visiting me and Lindsay in ours, after dinner?_ **

_Marc! Not while I’m trying to carve! And certainly not while your parents and brothers are watching._

**_Ah, it’s nothing they haven’t seen before. Do you know, last Christmas I  found Eric and his two doing…._ **

_Stop right there. I’ll never be able to look at your brother with a straight face when we’re on the ice._ Kris grinned. _Or I’ll tell you of the time when I caught Sid and Geno on the trainer’s table and…_

 ** _Uncle!_** Marc elbowed Kris. **_And we’d better get on with carving this baby. Or everyone WILL be staring at us._**

Sure enough, on cue, Jared Staal piped up. “Get on with it! You guys can make eyes at each other later - we’re starving!” He was quickly cuffed over the head by Jeff Skinner, but not before he’d started a chant of “Carve! Carve! Carve!” around the table.

Kris looked at Marc, who shrugged. “Better not keep the hungry masses of Staals waiting,” he said, holding out the knife. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

 

**_A hit! A direct hit!_ **

_I can’t believe the universe thought this would be my perfect match._

**_Hey – I could say the same about you, Mister Perfect Hair._** A pause. **_But I don’t think I would have it any other way._**

_Neither. Merry Christmas, Marc._

**_Merry Christmas, Kris._ **

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> And they lived happily ever after, in soulbonded foursome bliss :)
> 
> Camshaft22, I know the fic didn't quite turn out like your prompt - but I couldn't leave the ladies out of it. Hope you enjoyed it, anyway!
> 
>  
> 
> Quebec French phrases acquired via the internet, so any corrections would be much appreciated. 
> 
> And in case you were curious, Mario's bond is with his wife Nathalie...and Jaromir Jagr.


End file.
